To help worried parents, the Police Service of Northern Ireland have elected to post an American style graphic sexting dictionary on Facebook for parents to familiarise themselves with online talk.

It is a decision which the PSNI have also had to defend.

The police in Newry and Mourne asked parents on Facebook: Do you understand text talk?

The page of abbreviations is as alarming as it eye-opening.

Ranging from salacious come-ons to disturbing orders to "kill yourself" it gives a sometimes uncomfortable glimpse into what happen online.

A spokesman for Newry and Mourne PSNI, said: "As a follow up to the text talk post just to clarify that this was an American resource and indeed some of the codes may not be being used here but it is something to be aware off if you see cryptic messages on your kids devices.

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"Also prevention is better than cure so speak to your kids about their online activity, what they are using and respect the age limits of social media platforms – is it proper to set up a kid with a Facebook account at eight years old?

"What is an appropriate age to give your child a smart phone or device and data or wifi access?

"There are hundreds of text talk codes – a simple online search will reveal what any codes you spot actually mean."